How Hitler Came to Power

Non-fiction R.L. Rubenze

Selecting political candidates: A longitudinal study of assessment centre performance and political success in the 2005 UK General Election

There has been surprisingly little consideration of how the selection of political candidates compares with employee selection, or whether individual differences predict electoral success. This study describes the design and validation of an assessment centre [AC] for selecting prospective Parliamentary candidates for a main UK political party. A job analysis was conducted to identify the key competencies required by a Member of Parliament [MP] and the selection criteria for a standardised assessment process. Analysis of the first 415 participants revealed no differences on exercises or dimensions in performance between male and female candidates. For the 106 candidates selected to fight the May 2005 UK general election, critical thinking skills [CTA] and performance in a structured interview were significantly associated with the ‘percentage swing’ achieved by a candidate (r = .45, p <.01; r = .31, p <.01). CTA was also associated with ‘percentage votes’ (r = .26, p <.01). These results are discussed in relation to the development of a theory of political performance

Assessing the Effects of Personal Characteristics and Context on U.S. House Speakers’ Leadership Styles, 1789-2006

Research on congressional leadership has been dominated in recent decades by contextual interpretations that see leaders’ behavior as best explained by the environment in which they seek to exercise leadership—particularly, the preference homogeneity and size of their party caucus. The role of agency is thus discounted, and leaders’ personal characteristics and leadership styles are underplayed. Focusing specifically on the speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives from the first to the 110th Congress, we construct measures of each speaker’s commitment to comity and leadership assertiveness. We find the scores reliable and then test the extent to which a speaker’s style is the product of both political context and personal characteristics. Regression estimates on speakers’ personal assertiveness scores provide robust support for a context-plus-personal characteristics explanation, whereas estimates of their comity scores show that speakers’ personal backgrounds trump context

Reversing the Extraverted Leadership Advantage: The Role of Employee Proactivity

Extraversion predicts leadership emergence and effectiveness, but do groups perform more effectively under extraverted leadership? Drawing on dominance complementarity theory, we propose that although extraverted leadership enhances group performance when employees are passive, this effect reverses when employees are proactive, because extraverted leaders are less receptive to proactivity. In Study 1, pizza stores with leaders rated high (low) in extraversion achieved higher profits when employees were passive (proactive). Study 2 constructively replicates these findings in the laboratory: passive (proactive) groups achieved higher performance when leaders acted high (low) in extraversion. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for leadership and proactivity

Do voters get it right? A test of the ascription-actuality trait theory of leadership with political elites

Are the traits preferred by voters also associated with success in political office? Drawing on the ascription-actuality trait theory of leadership the present study examines whether traits ascribed to politicians predict leadership outcomes differently to the actual traits they possess. We collected self-ratings of politicians’ personality (N=138) using the NEO-PI-R (actual traits) and observer ratings of politicians’ facial appearance (ascribed traits) to examine their relationship with (a) leadership emergence, measured using share of vote in election, and (b) in-role leadership effectiveness, rated anonymously by political and local authority colleagues. Facial appearance predicted leadership emergence but not effectiveness. Personality had a more nuanced relationship with leadership outcomes. Conscientiousness predicted effectiveness but not emergence, and Agreeableness revealed a trait paradox, positively predicting emergence and negatively predicting effectiveness. These findings suggest a need to understand the contested nature of political leadership and qualities required for different aspects of political roles

A comprehensive literature review on childbirth: a time of options

Includes bibliographical references

Credibility of treatment rationales as a function of presenting complaint, rationale style, and personality characteristics

Previous research has pointed to the importance of a patient's expectancy of relief in psychological as well as medical interventions. Studies of relative efficacy of various psychological treatments have frequently failed to control adequately for these effects. One aspect of credibility is rationale. The present study examines the credibility of four interventions across three common targets of intervention. In addition, the rationales were presented in either a technical, impersonal style or a literary, metaphorical style. The study was conducted as a 4X3X2 (style) X 2 (gender) X 2 (order) ANOVA. Rated credibility of the various conditions was expected to depend on the personality/cognitive style of the recipient. Scores on measures of cerebral dominance and locus of control were entered as vectors in a multiple regression equation, as were their interactions with the ANOVA conditions. The hypothesis of enhanced credibility for rationales that are congruent with a recipient's cognitive style or beliefs regarding personal control was not supported. While the overall effect of presentation style was not significant, there was a significant interaction with treatment modality. The bulk of this variance was contributed by the differential credibility of the psychoanalytic rationales. Psychoanalytic treatments were perceived as more credible when presented in a scientific verses a literary style. Possible explanations for the effects observed are presented, as are implications of the findings for further research. [...]Psychology, Department o

The Influence of Men in Modern Dance

Through the research for this paper I found that men have a very strong presence in the world of modern dance. They are much more than just partnering bodies. They are very influential artists that have impacted the society of art in a big way. Through my comparisons of Ted Shawn, George Balanchine, and Bill T. Jones it was quite evident that while all men were undoubtedly different, all influenced American modern dance. Choreographers now want men who are individual artists as dancers and not just partnering bodies. Men’s presence in the modern dance world is very important and growing faster than ever

Examining the Relationship between Actual Polarization and Voter Turnout in the United States

The rise of polarization has created a sharp divide between the two main political parties in the United States. With the past few elections, it is evident this country has become more politically divided than ever. With an increase in this divide, we have seen record highs in voter turnout rates. This study attempts to answer the question of whether the presence of actual polarization within the United States affects voter turnout and how. Some scholars have studied the effects of party polarization on vote choice, but there is still more to understand about the relationship between actual party polarization and its effect on voter turnout. Scholars have mainly focused on polarization at the individual level, with little attention to actual polarization within our legislation. As our legislation becomes more polarized and extreme, the political parties become more distinguishable. When analyzing the cost and benefits perceived by an individual, this distinguishability and political extremisms may allow the individual to identify their party or candidate preferences, thus encouraging them to vote. To test my hypotheses, I will compare the amount of polarization and voter turnout rates for each state during the 2020 presidential election. In addition to my independent and dependent variables, controls include other factors that might affect voter turnout such as level of educational attainment, per capita income, and state homogeneity. The findings of this study suggest an increase in polarization is associated with a decrease in voter turnout. In addition to the polarization variable, the more homogenous a state is, the higher voter turnout rates are. The findings of this study will be beneficial in understanding what impacts voter turnout. Through this study, we can better predict voter turnout rates, as well as understand ways we can maximize voter turnout rates. Keywords: polarization, homogeneity, voter turnou